Falcon 9 Block 5

SpaceX

The world's most-flown orbital rocket — partially reusable and the workhorse of modern spaceflight.

Falcon 9 is a two-stage, partially reusable medium-lift launch vehicle. Its first stage, powered by nine Merlin engines, returns to Earth and lands either downrange on a drone ship or back at the launch site. The Block 5 variant entered service in 2018 and has since become the most-launched orbital rocket in history, flying Starlink, crewed Dragon missions, and a wide range of commercial and government payloads. Individual boosters have flown more than 25 times.

Fun facts

A single Falcon 9 booster has flown more than 25 missions — breaking all records for rocket stage reuse.

First-stage landing takes just ~8 minutes from launch — on land or on a drone ship at sea.

Falcon 9 is the most frequently launched orbital rocket in history — averaging one flight every 3–4 days.

Height

70 m

Diameter

3.7 m

Mass

549 t

Stages

Thrust